Unconditional Love's Duty
by Rakusa
Summary: Usagi's life is complicated, it gets more complicated when she is pressed for answers, but sometimes its better to let things be left alone, especially when it is not for her that she's hiding secrets. Discontinued.
1. 1

Unconditional Love's Duty

10/30/04

Summary: Sometimes truth isn't the answer. Would things have been better if left alone?

Usagi put on the last touches of the concealer over the rising bruise on her cheek. Hopefully it would stay and not rub away throughout the day, and if it did, she'd just lie and say she got it during practice yesterday. She finished getting dressed and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked as she normally did, her skin was a shade darker than usual but that could have a story too.

She glanced at the clock, she'd have to hurry up or else she'd miss the bus. Her legs carried her down the steps and out of the house. By the time that she reached the station, the bus was getting ready to leave and she slid in before the doors closed behind her. She flashed the man behind the wheel her bus card. She walked past several rows of people of all ages.

The public transport system would drop her off a block from school as more people got onto the bus. It did not run directly to the places which she wished to go to unfortunately, even when the place she needed to attend was a big office building, she'd still have to walk several feet to get there. The spots were positioned so nobody could just leave a building and step onto a bus. That way it was fair to everybody.

She waited patiently as the bus continued to stop and then continue on its journey. She did not fear being late to school, the bus was notorious for always being on schedule. Except when people like her held up the bus several seconds and that added up being a couple of minutes behind. Today there seemed to be a lot of people late. Usagi sighed as she realized that she would be late to school today and that meant she'd be getting her last tardy before she was forced to stay for detention. Luckily she had nothing to get to today and her family was home to take care of anything she'd miss.

The bus came to a stop and she got off the bus, walking towards the ugliest building she had ever seen. It was her school, the place she got to be in every day, how wonderful. Other people came and told her how beautiful the school was and she'd pretend to agree, growing tired of the compliment she had no part in portraying.

She was, as she suspected, late to her first hour. "Ms. Tuskino, how is that you can be late to first hour every day when it starts so late?"

"I'm not always late." She replied. "Just a few times, and school starts at 8:30, that is in no way early."

"The Americans get up at 6 to get to school on time." The teacher reminded her, as if she needed reminding.

"And? They are crazy to do that to the poor kids, didn't you know that its healthier to have more sleep and then the students can incorporate and install more into their brains."

"They don't have a choice and some of the smartest people are able to think better the earlier it is in the morning."

"They also die at an early age. At least people in Germany get up at eight and get out at noon." Usagi answered. "The smartest people come from Germany."

"Touché Tuskino-san." The teacher sounded pleased by Usagi's quick wit. "It seems however my point has just been proven, this is the smartest I've ever heard you sound."

"I also woke up an hour ago so your just getting my alertness that is usually reserved for an hour after this class. Which means that I have more sleep to be awake for those classes."

"I happen to agree, whenever somebody wants to get up they should."

"So… no detention?" Usagi asked hopefully.

"Nice try, but those people that get to choose when they want to wake up aren't students but those that work, and since I'm working here it's my job to ensure that you follow the rules. You have an hour after school sometime this week."

"That's not fair, the bus was late again."

"By two minutes, I suppose, but you could have run and skimmed those two minutes off or you could not argue wasting more of the classes time by excuses or trying to weasel yourself out of a detention. You could have stayed afterwards or taken it in good graces and sat down at your seat."

"The buses don't run past five." Usagi moaned.

"You'll be two minutes early if you stop arguing." The teacher answered. Usagi groaned and sank down into her desk defeated for the day.

"Tough break." A voice whispered in her ear, the breath playing with the fine nerve sensors that rose in response to the feeling.

Usagi's mouth quirked into a smile as she glanced at her boyfriend. His dark hair fell shaggily into his equally dark blue eyes. She shrugged in agreement. "I'll have to walk home."

"There's suppose to be a really bad thunderstorm this evening." He informed her.

"Great." She groaned. "I don't want to be out in that."

"Nor would I wish you to be out in it." Her eyes snapped to look at him. "What?"

"Have you been taking language lessons from Ami again?" She demanded.

"Now why on Earth would you ask me that?" Her boyfriend asked perplexed.

"Because you sound like somebody out of an ancient European book." She explained. "And only Ami talks like that 'nor would I wish…'"

"She's been my lab partner for a chemistry assignment recently and being around her kind of rubs off on everybody she knows, she's very proper and won't give it up for just anybody."

"I know." Usagi rotated and laid her head down on his desk, burying it in her arms. "My boyfriend's turned into Mr. Proper and I'm stuck here until five to then go run in the rain. How dandy."

"I have a solution to your problem." He reached out a hand and stroked it along her hair.

"Stop that." She whined. "It doesn't suit you."

"Don't ya wanna know what I think?" His hand pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

She raised her head to look at him. "Shoot."

"I could come pick you up." He offered.

"You have the car tonight?" Her mood perked up. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise, I hate taking the bus to your house and then taking you out on town through the bus. But it would be better if I picked you up and then I could take you home so you could have more time to change while I go home from practice."

"Oh, thank you, you're a gem." She made to hug him but a clearing of the throat caused her to look to the front instead.

"Ms. Tuskino, is there something you want to share with the class?"

"Ok, I don't have to ride the bus home after running through a thunderstorm tonight because my boyfriend, the best person in the world just offered me a ride!" She announced happily to the class.

The teacher looked like he was going to pound his head in for even bothering to ask. "All right Ms. Tuskino, that's enough, Mr. Chiba, I'd appreciate it if you go back to your seat, thank you."

Usagi received a wink as he walked past her and around the next row to go into the back again. Usagi had to keep the small laugh in check as they officially bugged yet another teacher to the point of stressing out.

First hour was English class and every other day but today Usagi would have been into learning it, but she wasn't feeling very into school at the moment. She listened blindly as the teacher continued to teach them the language's grammar. It was a seventh year class and she had the option of dropping it before last year but she decided to continue taking it. Doing so she now had a better grasp on the language than most people in Japan did.

It was in the middle of the week and her thoughts started wondering. Mamoru, her boyfriend, had noticed the darker skin shade and he kept sending glances her way. They had been dating for almost two years and he had yet to meet her family. When they had met and eventually started dating she had been as dark as her make-up naturally because of her tan. She had never gotten a bruise on her face and so it was strange to see her wearing make-up of any kind. She knew he'd ask eventually and she regretted it but she'd have to lie to him for the first time ever.

Unfortunately the one on her face wasn't her only bruise. There was one on her ribs, just above her stomach, she had gotten lucky with that one, any lower and she might have had internal damages, as it was, every time she moved it caused her pain.

But she could hide it though, she could hide anything. By the end of the day she sat in the same room for detention and waited until the hour was up, cleaning all of the desks and white boards. "That's enough Tuskino-san." Her teacher finally told her. "Sit down." She sat at the desk in the front row. "Now we need to talk about why you were late."

"I told you, the bus was running late and there was no way I could make it here."

"You could have taken an earlier one, they arrive every half hour and you would have only been five minutes early." He reminded her. "You said you were awake for an hour before coming, that has to mean something else was going on."

"There really isn't." Usagi disagreed.

"I've had a look over your file, it says that you have some family issues. When you were younger you had a lot of broken bones and random bruises and cuts. Would you like to explain how you got those now that you're older?"

"Those are medical files, how did you get them?" Usagi demanded, offended at the lack of privacy.

"They were noted in the school's hospital because you sometimes needed pain killers and what not." He told her. "So, what really happened this morning?"

"Why do you think something happened? I was getting ready and got behind because I'm not used to having so much time."

"You're wearing concealer, I think that constitutes something had happened." He continued to try to pry information out of her.

"You wont get me to tell you that I've been abused in my house that somebody has been beating me, it hasn't happened and it never will." Usagi stood up annoyed.

"Maybe it isn't somebody in your house, a boyfriend perhaps?" He raised his hands in innocence. "I'm trying to understand this."

"You are accusing Mamoru of beating me?" Usagi asked shell-shocked. "Never happened. Mamoru is one of the sweetest, innocent most perfect people ever."

"Maybe not Mamoru then, a previous boyfriend? I'm just trying to help you." He explained to her.

"I don't need your help, I'm not getting beat up, and everything that's happened can be explained one way or another. Now I would really appreciate it if you stayed out of my life." Usagi had never been angrier at the violation of privacy as she received just now.

The teacher sighed. "If you ever need a person to talk to, I'm here for you." He looked at the clock; it read 4:59. "All right, you may leave." She picked up all of her things and was about to leave the room when he called her attention back to him. "And Usagi, remember to try to be on time, and, be careful." Usagi threw a wave as she left behind her head.

She walked out of the room and towards the hallway to the football field. Mamoru was waiting for her by the doors to the bottom exit. She tilted her head to the side. "Did you take a shower?"

Mamoru rolled his eyes and stood up to his full height and threw an arm over her shoulders, her head barely reached his shoulders. "What do you think?"

"Not really, I can still smell your stuff." Usagi teased as they walked out to his car. She moved her head around his body to look at the black gym bag he had slung over his other shoulder.

"Then you can walk." Mamoru leaned down and brushed his lips across her cheek to her ear. "Then you won't need a shower will you? Because you'll be in one." His gaze traveled down to her white shirt. "I wouldn't mind walking with you if you really think I need another one."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's go home." He pulled his head up and unlocked the door.

"After you milady." He grinned at her as he opened the back door and tossed his bag in. Then opened her door for her. She slid into her seat and he closed the door behind her and walked around to his side. He drove them to Usagi's house. She got out of the car as he did as well.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you Mamo-chan." She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. "I'll see you this evening then for our date?"

"Of course." He put an arm around her lower back and pulled her up closer to him. "I love you." He told her, refusing to let her go. "Can't we just go hang out in your house for awhile?"

"I'd love you too." Usagi moved one arm and hung off his neck. "But you know your not allowed in my house when nobody's around." She didn't add what she was thinking but it had been a rule decided long ago to give the other people in her house a sense of privacy and safety from prying eyes.

"Then let's go to my apartment." He offered.

"Your grandpa's not home, you have the car, remember?" Usagi knew he needed her attention right now but they were going out on a date later tonight. "I'll see you tonight, all right?" She ran her hand down his face. "I love you." She gave him another kiss before moving away and entering her house with a back wave to her boyfriend.

Mamoru stared after her for a moment then left, he looked down at his hand as he opened the door, there was a dark line of make-up on his hand. It could only have come from Usagi.

He sent yet another glance at the house that almost always had its shutters pulled down. He defiantly had never seen them open so the public could see into their unguarded lives. He feared that she was holding something from him, something big that could in the end change their relationship. He didn't want anything to happen to them, he needed her, depended upon her, he loved her and they had an equal needful relationship.

Mamoru left, to get ready for their date tonight, he had a surprise for her and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. It all depended on which part she was more excited about.

Usagi leaned against the inside of her door, breathing deeply, she had almost given into his desires and let him into her house, but she couldn't do that. Not now, not for a long time. "Hey Usa-chan, how was your day?" Her mom asked interested, her mother, the sweetest soul in the world.

"Oh, it was ok, I had detention again, but then I got a ride home, before it started to rain." She sighed dreamily, she really did love Mamoru.

"Let me guess who the lucky driver was." Ikuko wrinkled her nose in thought, looked like the splitting image of Usagi except she had brown hair and brown eyes and was more than twice her age but other than that, they could pass as sisters. "Could it be that charming boyfriend of yours? I've only gotten to hear his voice over the phone line. When is it do you think I'm going to meet him or his family?"

"Pretty much whenever you want to or think you'll have time." Usagi answered as she headed up the stairs. "Just tell me a time you'll think you can make and I'll talk to Mamoru about it."

"Usa-chan." Ikuko's voice had a hint of authority in it. Usagi closed her eyes before opening them again and turning to her mother. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, of course not." Usagi's brows furrowed. "Why would you ask me that?"

Ikuko looked over her daughter and for the first time saw the almost grown woman before her. Her daughter had grown up fast and without her knowing it. "I have time next week, have his parents call me to set up a specific time." Usagi bit her lip in unsure-ness. "Usa-chan, what is it?"

"He doesn't live with his parents, they've died, he lives with his grandfather instead." Usagi answered her mother.

"Then have his grandfather call me, I'd love to meet him." Ikuko told her daughter, realizing that it had been left too late to be interested in her daughter's life, but not perhaps too late to make an impact and be involved.

"All right, I'll tell Chiba-san to call you." Usagi returned her flight up the stairs.

Usagi chose for that evening a black dress with a red belt and a gold clasp for the restaurant they were going to and then they'd head out to a billiards room to play some pool. The dress was decent for most things and looked like a party dress, which was exactly what she was going for. She laid it out as she looked into the mirror and noticed her make-up had gotten a little smudged. She fixed it and added more to bring out her eyes. She pulled on the dress after she completed her transformation. Her hair hung down in soft golden waves over her shoulders.

The doorbell rang and she hurried down before anybody else reached the door, she was too late as her mother got there before her. She heard their conversation. "Hello Mamoru-san, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Ikuko told her boyfriend. "You look as pleasant as you sound over the phone, my Usagi has very good choices."

"I thought Usagi said nobody was home." Mamoru stated perplexed.

"I got home only a few minutes ago." Ikuko covered.

"Hey Mamo-chan, goodbye mom." Usagi kissed her mother's cheek and pulled Mamoru out of the house. "I'll be home later."

"Bye Usa-chan."

Mamoru twirled Usagi around so she was in his arms and he was looking down over her head at her. "You look beautiful tonight Usako."

"Why thank you." She smiled up at him tilting her head back. "You of course are looking as handsome as usual"

He leaned down and sought out her lips. "Ready to have a night on the town?"

"Aren't I always?" She answered his question with her own.

"Usually but recently you've been a bit out of it." Mamoru reminded her.

She blinked coyly up at him. "Yeah, but I'm better now. I've had more sleep recently than I've had in a long time." She ran a manicured hand down his face, her nails clicking on the faint stubble. "Let's get going!" She laughed and raced him to the car.

Over dinner that night, Mamoru took Usagi's hand and pulled it to his lips, kissing the back of it. "I have news for you."

"What's that?" Usagi wondered.

"I had to keep one thing as a surprise for you otherwise it wouldn't have been any fun." He held her delicate hand in his larger ones. "I got a job." He told her.

Her eyes grew incredible. "Really? That's so great Mamo-chan! But what does that mean for us?"

"It means that I'll be getting a car and we'll be able to go out and I'll be able to pick you up so no more riding the bus home from detention." He paused. "It also means I'll probably be seeing you less."

"Ok." Usagi fell into silence. A few minutes later, Usagi's eyelashes flickered up and her eyes trained onto his. "Then we'll just have to work around that won't we and find time for each other."

"We will." Mamoru agreed. "This will cut back on loss of time between seeing each other so we don't have to wait for the bus."

"All right." She dropped off as if considering the turn of events. "I'm proud of you, congratulations on the job." She offered him a smile before leaning forward.

He leaned forward as well and brushed his lips against hers. "Thank you Usako." He ran his hand down the side of her cheek. "This will be a good thing, trust me."

"I know." Usagi wrinkled her nose and launched into a conversation of commercial things, ignoring his eyes zoning in on her face.

They passed through dinner without any lack in conversation and when they finished Usagi took the bill. "My treat, think of it as a celebration of your getting a job."

"Then I should be paying it because I'm now bringing in the money." Mamoru countered.

Usagi wrinkled her nose in a half smile and shook her head in the negative. "I don't think so."

Mamoru pulled her out of her seat when the receipt came back and she threw it into her purse. "Now Usako, we will not be arguing about who pays for the rest of the night, correct?"

"Correct, because it will be you paying for it." She grinned up at him.

"No- wait, yes." He twisted his lips into a frown trying not to break out laughing at her infectious face. "You are a sly one." He kissed the tip of her nose before lowering his lips to hers. When he pulled back he let a smile split his lips. "Thank you for dinner."

"Of course." Usagi pulled out of his embrace and took his hand. "I want to go party!" She tugged and he followed chuckling.

His grandfather's car wasn't much to look at, it was dark blue and had power windows, and the rest was almost as old as he was, with a heater and air conditioner that only worked periodically. The locking mechanism died out before Usagi and Mamoru met so Mamoru had to unlock Usagi's door first before walking around to unlock his. Mamoru being the gentleman opened the door for Usagi and waited for to get in before closing the door and entering his while standing in the freezing rain.

"It's a shame that I had forgotten the umbrella of all things, even reminding you this morning that we'd be in for a down pour."

"Quite all right." Usagi teased. "At least we have the car." She sneezed after that and rubbed her nose.

"Good health." Mamoru responded instantly.

"Maybe somebody's talking about me." Usagi suggested.

They didn't have very far to go, the billiard hall was only about ten blocks away from the restaurant.

They ran into the building barely managing to stay dry. Usagi's hair long ago frizzled out and lost some of its luster. But to Mamoru she was still cute. Mamoru found a table that was empty while Usagi grabbed two cue sticks of different lengths, one for Mamoru and one for herself. She tossed him one after he set the table up.

He chose to break and made three in right away. "Stripes." He told her and continued to sink all but one of his stripes.

Usagi pouted. "Of course." She leaned over the table and shot at the worst ball to try to get in and missed.

Mamoru sank another his last ball but purposely missed the eight ball. "Your turn."

Usagi again leaned over the table and lifted a leg to try and balance her out. "Oh shoot, I missed again." She whined. "You promised to teach me and all you do is beat me."

She received a few interested glances from the few patrons in the room. "Hush, just because you can't play worth beans don't yell at me." Mamoru mocked.

"I could teach ya." One of the more rowdy men yelled across the room.

Usagi turned. "Really?" She asked with large blue eyes.

"Usa-chan." Mamoru hissed and Usagi turned back around.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She pouted. "Just start playing."

"You want to do a foursome?" One guy asked her as he leaned against the table in front of her. His eyes were drifting back and forth between her face and her bosom.

The other guy walked up behind her and Usagi took a step away. "I don't know, Mamo-chan?" She looked towards Mamoru whose hand was turning white around his cue stick.

He snapped out of it. "Sure."

The men had been watching them play and reasoned they could beat Mamoru because Usagi was basically there as eye candy, and boy was she ever. The second man thought looking at her gorgeous behind. Besides, they might get somewhere with the girl, she seemed like a ditz ready to leave anybody for more fun.

"However, we won't play just for fun." Mamoru told them, wrapping his arm around Usagi's waist. "How about we play for money?"

"Sure, twenty bucks." The second pulled out the money and slapped it down onto the table. Mamoru did the same.

"And, let's say, whoever wins, gets a kiss from the pretty lady." The first added, looking over Usagi.

"And what would we receive?" Mamoru asked. "I already get all the kisses I want, and Usako doesn't obviously want you to kiss me either."

"If you win you get an extra twenty bucks." The first decided.

"All right." Usagi placed her hand upon Mamoru's arm and set up the table. "You can go first."

The first one broke the balls up and only a solid went in. "I'm Saul by the way." He leaned over and shot another one in but he missed the third.

"Your shot." He nodded towards Usagi.

Usagi leaned down and made two balls in on the first shot. She pulled back up and smiled at them. "Excuse me, your blocking my next shot." They quickly moved out of the way. "Thank you." She bopped over and sunk another three balls in. She cleared the table quickly.

Usagi walked over to the table and picked up the forty. "Pay the lady another twenty, please." Mamoru told the men.

The second handed over the twenty to Usagi and she slid it into her pocket. "Double or nothing with the previous offer still up." Saul demanded ignoring the look the second one gave him. "But you have to kiss both of us with every ball we sink."

Usagi clenched her jaw before relaxing. "Deal, but we break."

"That means your breaking." Saul pointed at Mamoru. "He couldn't make them all in if he tried, I know, I saw."

Mamoru sent a glance towards Usagi and she nodded. "All right, you want to set?" He asked, making sure that the men didn't say they were cheating and find a way to get back at them. Mamoru broke the triangle of balls and sunk in half of them. "Which do you want?" He asked Usagi.

Usagi counted the balls and chose the one with the most left on the table. "Solids."

Mamoru nodded and shot the rest into the pockets without any trouble. With only the eight ball left but in an impossible shot, Mamoru swallowed thinking he wouldn't make it. It was on the other side of the table against the edge and the only way to make it in way hitting it in just the right spot to make it go into the side pocket. Mamoru raised his eyes to Usagi; she bit her lip and bobbed her head.

"Eight ball left corner pocket." He made it and he sighed with relief.

He picked up the money since he was closer to it. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"I believe you owe us another twenty." Usagi held out her hand as she smiled innocently.

"All right." Saul walked up to her and handed her the twenty. She took it and was busy putting it in her pocket so she missed the gleam in his eyes and the quick motion as he pulled her into his arms and pushed his lips against hers.

She pushed him away in disgust. "Yuck." She whipped her mouth off.

A fist reached out and punched Saul in the face. "Stay away from her you creep." Mamoru growled and pushed him away.

"So the shark has teeth after all?" Saul bit back. "She tastes good, but I bet you already knew that."

"I bet your jaw's smarting about now, and your wallet." Mamoru countered. "What is it, eighty dollars down?"

"Let's go Mamo-chan." Usagi laced his arm with hers.

"Yeah, go home Mamo-chan." Saul mocked. "And be the sissy boy."

Mamoru took a step forward but stopped and looked down at Usagi who shook her head. "You're not worth it." He spat.

They left richer than they came in with and they split it between them once they left. "This was the best one we've done for awhile."

"Usako." He stopped her, not unlocking the door. The rain beat down upon them.

"Come on Mamo-chan, we're getting soaked." She avoided the issue. She shivered in the rain, Goosebumps rising.

"Usako." He repeated, tilting his face down towards hers, water slipping off his face. "Are you all right?" He asked, his hand running down her face, smearing the make up. "Usako-"

"I'm fine, I didn't get hurt by him." Usagi blinked the water away from her eyes as she looked up at him.

"I don't care about that jerk anymore." He snapped. "I was wondering all night about the make up and now that it's gone, there's a horrible bruise here." He gingerly touched it.

"I was hit by the soccer ball at practice yesterday." She hated lying to him but it had to be done for now. "Oh, I just remembered!" Usagi's eyes aligned with information. "My mom wants your grandpa to call her to set up a dinner time, she wants to meet him."

"Usako." Mamoru yelled. "That's bull, stop lying to me."

"But my mom really does want to meet with your grandfather." Usagi's eyebrows narrowed as she pretended she didn't understand him.

"You know what I meant, you're lying to me about the bruise." He grated.

"I'm not. I got hit yesterday during practice." She grounded her teeth.

"All right. I'll believe you." He kissed the bruise before kissing her lips. "I think my anger followed through from the fight inside."

"It's ok." Usagi wrapped her arms around his soaked torso, feeling even more guilt with his apology. But she knew it wasn't the end of the argument, it was just going to be postponed for another incident. "We should get in the car." She pulled at his wet shirt.

"Damn it." He sighed. "I've been messing up left and right tonight."

"Oh, Mamo-chan, don't say things like that." She ran her long fingers over his face in concern. "I am not in any danger, I've never felt scared when you've been near me. You could never mess up in my eyes."

Mamoru grinned and pulled her to him. "I think we should get going and get out of these wet clothes." He looked down at her. "I kind of like you like this." His grin turned crooked.

He seemed more relax than earlier and with his tension so did most of Usagi's and she winked at him, tuning into his playful mood. "I'm glad you think so." She ran her eyes down his soaked body, his clothes hung to his figure. "I kind of like you like this too."

"Let's get going." He dropped a kiss to her mouth before opening her door for her and bowing low. "For the beautiful lady."

"Thank you kind sir." She sat down on his grandpa's fairly decent car interior; it wasn't as beat up as the exterior. "However I do believe we will be wreaking havoc onto this fine carriage."

"Usako." Mamoru's timber voice echoed in the close confines. "I don't think it will have much impact."

"I know." She leaned back in her seat. "I think it's about time we go home." She told him after the car started and the clock blinked the time at them, 11:30. "We've got school tomorrow."

"All right." Mamoru grumbled half kidding to pout.

When Mamoru dropped Usagi off, Usagi leaned across the car and gave him a kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait." Mamoru halted Usagi by pulling her hand to his lips. "Will you be joining me at this year's rendition of a theme party?"

"I already told you, yes."

"I just wanted to make sure because sometimes you skip out on it at the last minute. I don't think I could possibly bare it again." He over acted.

"Don't worry, I might be busy but I'll make it to the party. Goodnight." She whispered as he kissed the back of her hand.

"Good night, sweet princess."


	2. 2

CHAPTER TWO

Usagi entered the room, with a square neck black dress with a pattern of red flowers and lines. She wore blue and diamond drop earrings. Around her neck was a mock hope diamond. She wore a wig that was a reddish brown color that settled on her shoulders in curls. "Usagi, what are you?" Rei asked, amazed by the transformation.

"I'm Rose, but where is my Jack?" Usagi looked around her trying to find the man who was supposed to be dressed up as Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Titanic.

"Kate Winslet." Usagi turned around at the realization in the voice of a girl. She turned to see Minako dressed up like a seventeenth hundred princess with wings.

"What are you suppose to be?" Usagi titled her head to the side.

"Did you ever see Romeo + Juliet the modern day version?" Usagi nodded. 'Claire Danes was dressed up like an angel for their costume party and I wanted to be her but I also wanted it to be set in the right time frame, so here's my outfit." Minako explained.

"Now if only we could find our fated lovers." Usagi sighed.

"Uh-oh." Minako groaned. At Usagi's enquiring look she developed her thoughts into words. "I put to my DiCaprio, like my Montague, Romeo, thing."

"I put to my Leo, as in Leonardo and Kate, the movie and the characters." Usagi closed her eyes.

"What do you want to bet they got them mixed up because they weren't sure what we were really doing?" Minako opened one eye to look at Usagi.

"Oh dear." Usagi thought she was going to faint. "Mamo-chan would never go for any of that fairy tale crap, his words not mine, and defiantly not a mixed up modern day olden day outfit, what was it anyways?"

"Motoki would probably be freaking out about his outfit because I had gotten the outfit so it would shape him because he hates too loose of fitting clothes. He also hates buttoning up a million buttons on what he calls a monkey suit."

"USAGI!" A voice roared just before another voice roared. "MINAKO!"

They jumped and turned to the entrance to see two very angry people walking towards them. They tried, they really, really tried to keep a straight face but they burst out laughing at the sight of the two men. Other people halted their partying and started laughing as well, soon the whole place was roaring with laughter. It stopped when they reached their girlfriends and sent the whole crowd death glares.

Mamoru was wearing a Hawaiian pattern shirt that was tailored to be loose around him and tightened at the waist before flaring out below the belt, however he had it in the wrong place and it looked like he had a bust before it flowed out over his stomach. The arms were belling out and cuffing at the wrists before doing the same as the waist. Except the sleeves ended a few good inches before his arms. His pants were skin tight, even more so because they were too small for him and there was a huge gap between the end of the pants and the beginning of the boots that were most likely squashing his feet. There was also a belt at his side that held a fake sword that was just flapping all over the place.

Usagi fell against Minako as they got a look at Motoki storming past the crowd a foot behind Mamoru.

He was wearing a dark blue-purple shirt, that buttoned up and underneath that was supposed to be a white shirt but it was buttoned up too far. His legs were medium trousers that ended just above dark brown boots that laced up the front. He had suspenders that kept falling off his shoulders and while everything else would have looked ok on him it was basically drowning him as the pants hung down too far showing off the top inch of his boxers. The cuffs of the pants were over clouding the boots and the shirt was much too big for him.

They had stopped just in front of the two girls and were glaring at them with the most anger imaginable. And it was only mounting because while the crowd stopped laughing they had continued, also receiving a few giggles from their friends. "Stop laughing!" They yelled at the same time at the two petite girls. "You purposely did this! You know how much I hate things like this!" It was then that they noticed that Motoki was carrying a brown trench like coat and had refused to put that on as well. It only renewed their laughter.

They started to storm off but the girls grabbed their arms and tried to explain to them through their laughter. "You- you didn't-" Minako started.

"Think to change clothes?" Usagi finished.

"Of course not." Mamoru answered, he was a good head taller than Usagi and had to look down at her with his blazing eyes. He almost hadn't recognized her, and wouldn't have unless she hadn't been surrounded by her friends and hadn't heard her laughter.

"It-it's just-" Usagi started.

"You got the costumes mixed up." Minako finished.

"What does that mean?" Motoki asked suspiciously.

"It means that you are wearing each others costumes!" Rei snapped getting annoyed at the slowness of the two men. "Didn't you even read the cards?"

"Mine said to my DiCaprio." Mamoru answered.

"And mine said to my Leo." Motoki agreed.

"Leo and Kate." Usagi explained gently. "I'm Kate, your Leo." She explained to Mamoru.

"Your DiCaprio and I'm Danes, but it's more of a Montague and Capulet thing." Minako said to Motoki.

"We should go change." They said at the same time heading to the school's bathrooms.

"We should probably go help them." Usagi said on a giggle.

"Of course, you never know what new trouble they could get into." Minako agreed and they left the rest of their friends there to continue partying. They sat outside of the bathroom waiting for the boys to come out, and until then they were talking. "That was priceless, to bad we don't have a picture." She sighed.

"I know, it would have been very nice leverage." Usagi agreed leaning against the wall. "I will never forget this day for as long as I live."

"I'm even surprised you showed up tonight." Minako said sadly. "You've been so busy all the time I've known you and this is the first party you've actually attended."

"I'm sorry Mina-chan, it's just that until now I've had responsibilities that I couldn't break and now it's getting better." Usagi reached over and hugged one of her best friends.

"It's ok, I'm just so glad to finally have to hang out with you." Minako returned the hug.

The door opened and the two guys walked out in the right outfits, but nothing else was right. They turned to look at the guys and Motoki made a wise-ass comment. "Our outfits didn't look that bad on us did they?"

Mamoru dropped down to his knees in front of them. "It's just that you look like your crying." He reached a hand out towards Usagi.

"It isn't about the two of you, you egomaniacs." Minako teased. "Usagi and I were having a heart to heart."

"Oh." Mamoru turned his head. "So how do I look Usako?"

"Terrible?" Minako asked helpfully.

"Har-har." Mamoru laughed dryly.

"You'd look more like your character if your hair was like this." Usagi took out a comb and made a side part in his blond wig and combed over the rest. "There, much better, time to party." She stood up. "And Motoki, you're looking very retro seventeenth century." That caused a giggle from Usagi and a chuckle from Mamoru.

"Yeah man, I can't believe your ok about wearing that."

"Your one to talk, dead boy." Motoki looked over his outfit.

"Um, Toki-chan, your dead too…" Minako pursed her lips after she dropped off her comment.

"Oh, ok then _frozen _boy."

"Great one oh _poison _boy." Mamoru mocked. "You just happen to be the same actor I'm portraying."

"Enough!" Usagi and Minako screeched at once.

Usagi finished more calmly. "Let's return to the party." They headed back into the main room.

During the slow song: You make heaven a place on Earth, Mamoru and Usagi were dancing together and she wound her arms around his neck. "You really didn't think that if your clothes were too small on you and too big on Motoki you _might_ have mixed them up?"

"The thought never occurred to me." Mamoru admitted. "I didn't even guess you and Minako could come up with practically the same idea."

"Who knew that the two blonds would both think of movies that included Leonardo DiCaprio?" Usagi laughed before laying her head onto Mamoru's chest. "That was the funniest sight ever, I couldn't have even imagined something as funny."

"Funny, right." Mamoru pulled her to him. "So Rose, does this mean I get to draw you naked?"

"Yeah right, in your dreams." She punched him on the shoulder.

"Exactly."

Meanwhile Motoki and Minako were also dancing to the same song. "So you didn't think when you put on an outfit you would hate that you might have grabbed the wrong one of two?"

"No. All I knew was that I was going to be going as one of Leonardo's characters and Jack was one of them." Motoki explained. "I'm just glad that you didn't choose me to be an aviator or one of the characters from Catch Me If You Can, The Beach or Gangs of New York. I shudder to think of any of those outfits."

"It's pretty funny that Usa-chan and I accidentally had the same idea isn't it?" Minako asked.

"Yeah, funny. It's also funny that Mamoru and I just happened to be both at the Crown and that's where we planned on changing to meet up with you." Motoki looked down on Minako's straight red haired head. "Did you dye your hair or is it a wig?"

"I dyed it." She replied looking up at him. "So my Romeo, will you kiss your Juliet?"

"I will, does this mean that Romeo had other benefits as well? The husbandly ones?" Motoki asked easing his face down towards her.

"No." she said simply, smiling to the kiss.


	3. 3 real original chapter titles hmm?

CHAPTER 3

When Usagi got home that night she was in an elated mood but it stopped short at the sight of her mother when she entered the doors. Her mother's eyes were red and puffy, again Usagi could see the lines that symbolized her aging face, more advanced than other women her age.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Usagi questioned immediately.

"Your brother's in the hospital." It was her mother's reply.

Usagi gulped. "What?" She shook her head. "When did this happen?"

"Half hour ago. Your father's there now, taking care of the formalities." Ikuko told her oldest child.

"Why aren't you there?" Usagi asked amazed.

"I decided to wait for you." Ikuko explained, every time it didn't get any easier and every time she'd have to make up some excuse.

"Why didn't you call me?" Usagi demanded.

"You were having fun, I didn't want to ruin this night along with every other one." Ikuko whipped away her tears. "Now come on, lets go."

"MOM!" Usagi's voice rose and Ikuko stopped to look at her in curiosity. "You're bleeding!"

Ikuko gently touched her lip, which had a gash in it. "And so I am, it's all right dear, and it'll be fine, nothing worse than usual."

Usagi made a soft noise of protest and wet one of their dark towels. She filled it with ice and pressed it carefully against her mother's lip. "You might need stitches." Usagi admonished her mother for taking it so lightly.

"I should be the one taking care of my children, not my daughter caring for me." Ikuko groaned as she took the cloth from her daughter and wincing at the pain. "Thank you." She mumbled out past the ice pack.

"Would you like me to drive?" Usagi suggested.

"Please." Ikuko handed over the keys and followed Usagi out of the house and into the garage.

When they got to the hospital Usagi's father was just finishing the paper work. His slow smile meant many things, one of which was that Shingo was ok and other was that the alcohol was starting to set in.

"You let dad drive Shingo here drunk?" Usagi rounded on her mother.

"Smart lass." Kenji muttered as he leaned against the sterile orange chairs, a failure attempt to add color.

"It wasn't like I had much choice." Ikuko sighed. "I wasn't feeling up to driving."

Usagi plopped down a few seats away from her parents. "Fine then." She grumbled not in the mood speak to either.

"What are you wearing?" Kenji finally got a look at her and grew angry.

"A costume, from the theme party?" Usagi's father wasn't home enough to remember her telling the whole family about it last week. They just knew that she wasn't going to be home that night until late.

"What was the theme?" He questioned trying to find a hole in her lie.

"Fated." She answered calmly.

"And what were you supposed to be?" He challenged.

"Rose from the Titanic with her fated destiny of being sunk." Usagi shrugged. "It was an American movie, I doubt you saw it."

"The rose was in Romeo and Juliet. A rose would smell as sweet by any other name." Kenji quoted, rounding on her with burning eyes. "You didn't go to that party with that boy, pretending to be Romeo and Juliet did you?"

"You really do hate the English don't you?" Usagi didn't answer his question and that's what infuriated him the most.

"Are we going to be having a married child on our hands pretty soon because some boy got my daughter pregnant?" He roared.

"Sit. Down." Usagi glared at him and he looked around realizing his mistake and subsided into his chair.

"We will finish this conversation at home." He told her.

"I don't think so." Usagi responded indecently. "There's already been enough trouble for tonight."

Kenji stood up again and started to stalk towards his daughter when his wife's sad voice caught him off guard. "Ken-chan, she didn't do anything wrong. Our daughter's the perfect one, remember?"

Kenji whirled around towards Ikuko. "She's perfect?" He blustered. "She goes romping off with that poor fool every day and doing you knows what with him!"

"If you keep believing that of her, she might just say, heck with it, I'm already getting blamed for something I don't do, why not just do it and face my crimes head on?" Ikuko warned. "No, _our_ daughter's going to be just fine."

Usagi was silently steaming; her father didn't know when to shut up or what things weren't allowed to be said. She decided she would ignore the little digs for now, exploding only when it was very important. Right now there were more important things to worry about. She walked over to the nurse's station and asked the question that was most pressing. "Can I see my brother now?"

"Actually you can, I just got word and was about to tell all of you. Would you like to wait until I tell your parents?" The young intern wondered, his green eyes traveling over to the older couple.

"No, they need some time to talk out here. I'll come back out in a few minutes." Usagi told him and walked into the room the intern told her he'd be in.

Shingo was lying in bed breathing semi-evenly. "Hey Nee-chan."

"Hi little bro." Usagi rested placed her hand over his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "How are you feeling?"

"Ok considering that I feel the marching band is doing a detrimental beat in my head." He told her.

She laughed lightly. "You know so many big words, I'm always amazed. How did this one happen?" She returned to the real subject at hand.

"I was… hmm…" He paused. "I actually don't remember what happened this time." He raised a tired hand and rubbed his smooth jaw, one yet to receive the first shades of a shadow.

"It's all right, don't try to remember if it causes pain." She soothed. "I'll spend the night here if you wish. Out of the three of us, I have the most flexible schedule."

"It's all right, I'm perfectly all right with staying here by myself." He told her gently. "We'll be trying something new pretty soon though, right?"

"Mom hates it when you go under for surgery." Usagi sighed. "But if it will help from any relapse, then I'll help her through it."

"Good girl." He smiled tiredly at her before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

Usagi soon fell asleep unknowingly in her chair and wasn't disturbed until the next morning by a beeping alarm. She looked up groggily and looked at the numbers, which read, nine o'clock in the morning. She was about to go back to sleep with a noise interrupted her thoughts again. It was her phone.

"Hello?" She asked fuzzily.

"Usako." She heard the soft, teasing voice and woke up. "Where were you last night? I called you as soon as I got home."

"Oh, Mamo-chan, I totally spaced it out, I fell asleep on the couch last night almost as soon as I sat down." She lied with such ease she was ashamed, twice now she couldn't just make a round about comment and get away with declining to tell him.

"Perfectly understandable." His voice was still teasing. "We really tired you out last night."

"Of course." That wasn't a lie; she would probably have crashed after the phone call if it weren't for the events following. That reminded her, how did she get home?

"Are we still on for lunch with the girls?" He wondered softly.

"Um…" Usagi hesitated.

"Usako, you said you would." He sounded disappointed, she disappointed a lot of people by backing out of her word, the only promise she never broke was the one to her brother.

"I know, but something's come up, there's somebody I know in the hospital and I have to go visit them." Usagi felt relieve that it wasn't an outright lie.

"I'll go with you, and we'll still have plenty of time to spare to go to lunch." He suggested.

"No!" Usagi said quickly. "I mean they don't like to be bothered, they're very private type of people and would want me to stay with them for a while."

She heard his growl before she heard his reply. "You're lying to me again!"

"No I'm not!" It was true she wasn't _lying_; telling half-truths were more like it. She just conveniently forgot that every lie had some truth.

"Yes you are! I don't know what's gotten into you! You've suddenly decided to break our trust and lie to me constantly now."

"No I don't." She frowned. "Why on earth would you believe that?"

"I know you are because there's differences in the way you talk, the way you act and you don't look me directly in the eye until you put a little will power behind it and even then its only for a couple of seconds before you look away and finish your sentence with a lie."

"I'm not lying." She told him firmly.

"For some reason you want to keep me out of your life, or at least part of it." He amended at her sound of protest. "If you want to keep your life a secret, fine, as long as it doesn't harm you. Just don't _lie _to me, tell me it's none of my business, tell me that you can't tell me but you aren't doing anything that betrays us or harms you. Just tell me the truth as much as you can, but don't **_lie_** to me."

"I am going to the hospital to visit someone." She stated simply, she'd keep his words in mind; he just gave her an easy out. "No, you can't come because that person can't have outside company. I will not be able to join you and the girls for lunch. I'm sorry."

"That wasn't that hard, now was it?" His voice lost all trace of bitterness, he'd had a bad history with liars and it reflected every once in awhile. It was one of the reasons besides trust that she was so adamant about telling the truth and feeling guilty about when she did lie.

"It was basically the same thing I said earlier." She pointed out and he only sighed. "I'm sorry, but I should get going."

"I love you Usako, stay safe. Goodbye."

"I love you too, and that's no lie, bye." Usagi hung up the phone and skipped to the bathroom to take a shower. Then she stopped and groaned, she always forgot about her brother's terrible predicament after she talked to Mamoru.

Sure they disagreed on a few things but in the end just talking to him proved to be a great spirit lifter. For the first time in her life she regretted having her brother. Not having her brother per se but she was getting tired of having to help out her little brother.

She now felt extremely guilty for all of her thoughts. She was a terrible, terrible person.

Usagi finished showering by turning the knob off and dried off before exiting the stall. She dressed quickly and made her way to the hospital, her parents had already left that morning, her mom to the hospital and her dad to work.

So she had to take the bus to the subway, from the subway to the hospital. She walked to the waiting room to wait patiently with her mother, her brother had already gone in for his surgery and now all they could do was wait.

"You are such a good child." Ikuko said resting her head on Usagi's shoulder. "Always so brave and strong, what would I have done without you?"

"Relied on dad." Usagi answered simply, the bond that had been between them years past had faded recently as Usagi learned what happened at home wasn't exactly right and she learned how to stretch her wings and be on her own so completely.

"Your father is a good man, he helps provide for us, he works hard and he loves his family dearly." Her mother chided.

"I know." Usagi sighed leaning against her chair and closing her eyes. "I know."

A few hours later there was still no sign of how her brother's surgery was going. Usagi shifted from her comfortable position. "When do you go back to work?"

"Monday, I'm meeting with Mamoru's grandfather tomorrow, did he tell you?"

"Mamoru or his grandfather?" Usagi questioned lightly.

"Either?"

"No, I hadn't heard anything on the subject since you brought it up two weeks ago." Usagi answered stretching. "Here comes that nice nurse." Both stood to greet him.

"Your son will be fine Ms. Tuskino." He told her. "They hope this one will be better than the last few. An American girl had really great results with it when it was still a proto type."

"Thank you." Ikuko cried.

Usagi rolled her eyes before asking what was really important. "When can we see him?"

"Actually you can bring him home in a couple of hours, I see that you've become very adept at handling this." His implication didn't get missed on Usagi but her mother was oblivious and took it for the obvious.

"Yes, you're quite right, thank you." Ikuko dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Behind her Usagi made a small nod towards the male nurse, a slight smile curving at her lovely lips. "Usagi."

Usagi tore her eyes away and looked at her mother. "Yes?"

"Can you see to the requirements? I was so frazzled this morning I clear forgot. Can you see to getting some on loan?"

Usagi agreed and walked back down the hall that she had come down and went to the nurse's station to get what she needed. The cute guy followed her and leaned against the desk. "He'll be unresponsive to it for a couple of days, his body will refuse it."

"What can we expect?" Usagi asked, thinking she already knew the answer.

"It really depends on him and how his body reacts to the invasion. But he should be no worse than which he has been."

Usagi nodded carefully, her thoughts on her brother.

"Usagi, about your father…" He tried.

"Don't start, there's nothing wrong, he's just stressed by all of this." Usagi changed the subject quickly. "Have you heard about the new medical advancement in the cancer research? I heard about something new popping up and since you're in the field…"

"No, sorry." He smiled broadly knowing she was trying to get out of talking about what they needed to discuss, he followed her path. "Usagi, would you be interested in going out on a date sometime?" At her frown he quickly continued. "I know there's an age difference and I'm your brother's nurse but that doesn't actually mean anything, considering that nurses don't have to abide by that guideline and I'm only two years older than you."

Usagi ran a tired hand down her face as she regrouped in how to tell him this. "I think you're a very sweet person, but I can't, I-"

He cut her off. "You can't or you won't?"

"Both." She said simply.

"I understand." He wasn't taking it as well as she hoped.

"Let me explain, it isn't what you think. I'm already dating somebody I love very much." She clarified.

"I see." He took it in his stride, not terribly as sadden by the turn down as earlier. "He's a very lucky man."

"Thank you." Usagi smiled turning slightly pink with embarrassment.

"Usagi!" A familiar female voice called her name and she winced as she turned.

"Hi Ami!" She forced cheerfulness into her tone when she hadn't wanted to see her friend. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with everybody else."

"Oh!" Ami laughed lightly. "I was but then I had to do something for my mother before I went back." Ami's gaze flickered over to the man Usagi had just been talking to. "Who's that?" She pondered to Usagi, expecting an answer.

"This is my friend Zhang." She elbowed him, sending a warning glance. "Zhang, this is my, other friend, Ami."

"Nice you meet you Ami-san, if Usagi-san here had told me your last name I could have been politer." He told her on a bow of greeting.

"It's all right." Ami said returning the bow. "Pleased to meet you as well Zhang-san. Do you mind if I talked alone with Usa-chan for awhile?"

"Not at all, please do." Zhang walked away giving a wink to a nearly blushing Usagi, Ami missed the wink, noticing how good-looking the man was.

Ami blinked and turned her attention back to her friend. "Yee-gods." She sighed. "Minako's going to have a field day."

"What?" Usagi asked confused.

"Nothing, nothing, never mind." Ami shook herself out of her knowing mind. "How long have you known Zhang?"

"For awhile." Usagi refused to say for two days. "Why?"

"Oh, I just didn't know he was assigned here, I know most of the newer people."

"Okay." Usagi forced the conversation to die. "So helping your mother, eh? What are you doing?"

"I was sent down here to look at a patient, give my opinion and all." Ami stated proudly.

Usagi was happy for her friend's accomplishments but at that moment she wished she wasn't as smart as she was. "That's really good!" Usagi barely had to force the glad tone into her voice, yet it was still forced.

"Why are you here Usa-chan?" Ami asked oblivious to her inner turmoil.

Usagi shrugged noncommittally. "You should probably get onto your patient Ami." She suggested pointedly.

"Ok. I'll see you." Ami paused then thought better of it and walked down the hallway in the direction of intensive care.

Usagi breathed out a deep sigh of relief and picked up the items she abandoned when seeing her friend and bringing them back to her mother.

"Thank you Usa-chan." Ikuko praised with a large smile. "You are the best daughter a mother could have."

"Thank you." Usagi responded dutifully and slid into one of the ugly orange chairs. She decided she was going to sit there until her mother wheeled her brother out of his room and found them. As she waited she fell asleep curled up on the chair.

When she awoke her mother wasn't around and there was a blanket over her. She turned her head and was greeted by the smiling face of Zhang. "Hi." He said softly when she slowly blinked away the fogginess in her eyes.

"Where is everybody?" She asked.

"Your mother is attending to your brother right now, she said she'd be back out shortly, I saw her go in with several other nurses."

"Oh." Usagi forced a smile onto her face. "Thank you. I suspect you're the one who put the blanket over me?"

"That was completely your mother, I had thought about it but she beat me to the punch. She's trying Usagi-san, she's trying, even I can see that. I don't know about your history but I see the here and now and I know that your mother feels guilty about something and trying to make it up."

"I know." Usagi agreed as she stretched. "And I'm letting her try, we'll see how it turns out."

Zhang nodded. "Now, about Ami-san,"

Usagi cut him off. "She's single, but she'll be a challenge, she's quote, unquote, allergic to romantic endeavors."

Zhang laughed. "Is she a spitfire too?"

"No, she's quiet but with a lot of passion behind her flimsy wall, now Rei is most definitely a spitfire."

"Like you." He pointed out, and when she made to protest he contradicted her. "Remember I saw you last night when you were with your father, that was not something a modest, serene mouse could do."

"I suppose but that was extenuating circumstances that you wouldn't understand."

"You'd be surprised. My father was a certified alcoholic who attended all his AA meetings and played a good tune to the courts but at the end of the day when nobody was looking he hit the bottle hard."

Usagi's eyes widened. "That's terrible, but my father's not an alcoholic."

"He doesn't have to be. But an alcoholic has many personalities, anger, loving, aggressive, smooth, cheerful, brave, sick, they all arrive to the same outcome. They are all victims to a drug that holds more power over them then they'd care to admit."

"Again, my father's not an alcoholic." She denied adamantly.

"Denying it doesn't make it go away. I never used to believe my father could be an alcoholic and then I finally _saw_ it." Zhang pursued.

"But he's not, trust me on that one. I know the signs of an alcoholic, I work with them often enough." Usagi gave out a degrading laugh. "My father had something to drink last night, he had come back from a party. He's a mean drunk but not abusive. I can count the number of drinks my father's had in the last six months besides last night on one hand. My father is not a alcoholic."

"Why do you work with alcoholics often?" Zhang asked confused, accepting her statement about her father.

"I work at a bar, it's how I make money. It's an upscale bar, but a bar none-the-less. The difference between where I work and the ones you always see on TV with drunks is that you get thrown out if you get rowdy and I'm usually the one to have them thrown out."

"Do your parents know about your job?"

"My job? You make it sound terrible. It's not like I'm a stripper or anything. I'm one of a handful of waiters that go around with nice small easy meals, clear the tables, and change the nut bowl at the counter if they run out. No though, they think I work at a restaurant, they've never asked more about it so I didn't tell."

"What's your problem with your father then?" Zhang took her hand in his, showing his genuine interest. Neither knew about the blue haired girl that had come around the corner and saw them, but couldn't hear them.

"It's complicated but it mostly stems out of his hatred towards my boyfriend." She groaned and pulled her hand from his to drop her head in her upturn palms.

"Your boyfriend? What could your father have against him if you've deemed him worthy enough to take into your life?"

"Part of it is because I'm threatening the perfect balance in the family. If I have a boyfriend, he's bound to find out about my brother and my father doesn't want that and neither do the other two. I don't know where the harm would be in allowing me to share my life with other people even if it isn't only my life. I guess though they'd start treating Shingo differently if they knew and his friends would find out but I'm surprised they haven't already figured it out."

"He's not that noticeable, with age there's less side effects and visual reactions."

"I know but it's still scary and he's getting so strong and the ones that do show are the deeper ones." She muttered her face pressed against her hands.

Zhang pulled her hands away and lifted her face by her chin. "That's why he's getting help, hopefully they'll be less of them and even the ones that remain will only be mild inconveniences that he can deal with himself."

"I pray your right but Kami can only deal with so many people at once."

"You'll see, things will look up as soon as his body adjusts to it." Zhang gave her a lop-sided smile in reassurance.

"I've never had somebody to talk to about my brother before. My parents refuse to discuss it at any length and they depend on me to help support and take care of him. Ami has medical knowledge but she isn't exactly the greatest person to lean on for a comforting explanation. She tells you the facts and tries to be kind and sympathetic but it isn't anything I can use because she's telling me what everybody's always told me. So I haven't even told her about my brother yet because of my promise to my family."

"You can always talk to me, I'll be here for you no matter what." Zhang told her honestly, empowering her to trust him.

"Oh thank you!" Usagi threw her arms around him in a hug and he caught her and hugged her back. She buried her head into his shoulder and wanted to cry but couldn't. "You don't know how much this means to me."

He ran his hand up and down her back in a soothing pattern. "I can guess, if I hadn't found aid when I learned of my father's problems I don't know where I'd be today."

Usagi nodded and pulled away. "I understand that. Passing on the help is always a valuable commodity so you can help bring out the next person and get them to deal with their issues."

Ami turned from the scene in anger; she didn't know Usagi as well as she thought she did! Oh, and poor Mamoru! He'd be _devastated_!

Ikuko walked out of the room at the same time Ami was storming down the hallway and bumped into her. "Oh Ami." Ikuko rested her hand on Ami's arm. "How are you dear." Ami was one of the only friends Ikuko knew about and even met once.

"Fine." Ami strained away.

"What are you doing here?" She asked politely.

"Finding some things out I never knew before." Ami grumbled unpleasantly.

"That's too bad. Have you spoken to Usagi recently? I know she was a little disappointed about not being able to attend you little get together this afternoon but she had other things she needed to attend to."

"I bet." Ami snorted and then caught herself. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little miffed at somebody, and you caught me at the wrong time." Ami apologized tight-lipped.

"All right dear." Ikuko smiled gently, now at ease about her son, she could worry about her daughter. "It was nice to see you again, you should stop by the house more often, I know how much your friendship with Usagi means to her."

Ami only nodded her response to that. "I'll see you then."

"Bye." Ikuko watched her fume away down the hall and then turned behind her to see her son being wheeled out by one of the female nurses, sound asleep. "Let's go get Usagi and go home."

Usagi stood up when Ikuko finally came back. She turned to Zhang as they prepared to leave. "Thank you." She whispered and he sent her a charming smile that read 'no sweat'.


	4. 4 insert originality at leisure

CHAPTER 4

Usagi stretched under the El Nimo temperatures sky rocketing the late November day. Beside her Mamoru rolled over and fell back asleep upon her long blond hair. She smiled and watched him for a while before reaching out a hand and brushing away a black lock that was irritating his nose.

Their hair was a complete contrast to each other and it was more noticeably pronounced when they laid side by side like that. She leaned over him prepared to return the favor from last time when his lips up turned showing that he was only pretending to be asleep and failing miserably at it. "Your staring at me and while that isn't so bad, your blocking out my sun to do it." He grumbled not opening his eyes yet.

"Not my problem. I thought only girls were conscious about getting a tan."

"Most definitely not true, many guys want one too only girls go out of their way to get one." He cracked his eyes open to give her a teasing look.

She crinkled her nose up and he could only think it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen before. "You're not supposed to be awake." She complained softly.

"That's just too sad, isn't it?" He mocked. "And what pray tell, were you going to do if I wasn't?"

"You'll never find out now." She huffed and pulled away forgetting that he was on her hair. "Ow!" She rubbed her skull where the hair stretched in compliance to the pressure. "Off of my hair!"

He rolled off of it and sat up only to drag her into his arms. "Were you going to do this?" He crushed his lips against hers, stifling her small gasp. "No? This then?" He softened his mouth and toyed with her to get her to respond.

Respond she did. Her hands slid up his shoulders and neck and dug her fingers into the soft luscious black head of hair.

He pulled away for air. "Kami Usako." He growled and his lips returned to her inviting ones.

She pulled away shortly with a come hither look in her eyes. "What Mamo-chan, tired?" She teased.

"You don't know what you do to a man." He caught her and pushed her gently back down towards the blanket covered Earth.

"Quite possibly the same thing you do to all women." She responded.

Mamoru growled and got a possessive look in his stormy blue eyes. "I'd hope not because I'm not a sharing man and you are mine."

Unknown to the romantic couple, they were being spied on by a group of four girls. Twp gossiped and talked about how cute and romantic it was, and joked about not having popcorn to watch their real life movie. One was usually talking about her boyfriend and wanting to compare relationships and take notes on what to do and not to do. Another one would usually protest because it wasn't the right thing to do. But this time the one who usually protested was watching the events with a sharp eye trying to find any problems in her 'friend's' relationship that would cause her to be unfaithful.

For most of the last month she had no inkling as to why Usagi would want to destroy her relationship with the trusting, caring Mamoru. They were truly a match made in heaven by outward appearances.

"That is good because you are mine alone and I'm not about to give you up."

"Excellently noted." His eyes though trained again on the small gash on her forehead. He bent his head and kissed it with tenderness. He wasn't sure when it came about, from where or why and he wanted to know why she got stitches when she swore it was no big deal. He needed to know why she kept it a secret for several days to allow it to heal until she didn't need a bandage, before telling him. He knew it needed a bandage besides the stitches because he was no idiot.

Usagi knew what he was thinking, could see the wheels turning in his mind. She saw his mouth forming words that he never uttered, was almost afraid to utter to hear the truth or more importantly to hear the lie.

Just when things were getting better, her life was going down the tube. "Should we get going?" She asked, looking at the low sun getting closer to the horizon. "It'll be dark soon and temperatures are no doubt going to drop."

He nodded solemnly and pushed off the ground into a standing position without much hassle then lowered his hand towards her to pull her to her feet. Once he did so he started to collect the picnic lunch they had shared a few hours earlier and she collected the blanket and the coats they had brought along in case the temperature decided not to play fair.

They walked back to the car in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

AN: Eep, I just realized my chapters are getting shorter and shorter. Bare with me I have a timetable set up and I need to work it out somehow.


	5. 5

CHAPTER 5

"Ow." Usagi whined as Zhang straightened her arm.

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "I am really starting to hate your parents."

"Join the club." Usagi grumbled. "But why do you hate them?"

"Because of this, and things like this. I swear your parents messed up since the beginning, they never should have trusted Shingo into your hands."

"Are you saying I'm unfit to handle him or myself."

"That's not what I'm saying at all and you know it." He winced as she hissed in pain. "Sorry. It isn't your responsibility."

Usagi fell silent and thought about what he was saying. It wasn't quite what he thought it was, it hadn't been a snap decision to entrust Shingo's care to her, it had taken time. "But at least the treatment's working." She pointed out ruefully.

"Is it?"

And that was the question she had the most trouble dealing with.

She'd had false starts before, but it looked as if this treatment was finally working. He'd only had two relapses since the treatment began so far and it was already December, and he was doing so much better. She breathed a deep sigh of relief as she realized he might yet have a normal life. He deserved it, he was one of those people that do really well in most situations.

He was even able to walk around the streets without anybody with him and it pleased her immensely. Today he had missed a treatment and had a relapse. His body had resisted most medications and combined to having a low sugar level leaving him tired after each episode.

The new treatment that they had learned of this year had been viewed as a possibility but they were getting used to the normality of events and they didn't want to get their hopes up.

When he was an infant she had watched him, not even two years his senior, but she could still remember his body stiffening up almost a hundred times a day. She hadn't understood it then, but it scared her and she had known it was wrong that it was happening.

"He's able to stop the tremors at the first sight of onslaught."

"The seizures haven't stopped yet. I know I said there weren't any guarantees but he should have been able to get the medicine released in time to stop this last one. Besides that's the use of the device, to not have you watching over him constantly. It is suppose to regulate him and release the medicine into his system before anything occurs." Zhang reiterated as he wrapped the wet bandage around her wrist.

"He's only had it a month and a half, there's still time for it to start to work properly, besides before he'd have a seizure periodically. He's only had two in the last two months."

"That's what you say, but he could have had more. There's only been two injuries where you've needed to come in to get help with." Zhang watched her bit back a gasp as he corrected another shift of her bone. "He's too big for you to handle."

"That's unfair, I've been in the hospital several times before he physically out weighed me." She shook her head at the incoming comment she knew he'd direct at her. "I know, I know, all right?" She had been thinking it too. The bruise the other month had been her first sign, usually she could wrestle it out with him and dodge flying limbs but somewhere along the line her little brother got big.

The second sign was when she needed to move him in November away from the table before he hurt himself and doing so she fell into it because she hadn't expected a shift at the same time she was trying to counterbalance his weight.

Now she had tried to get him off the stairs before he seriously hurt himself when a swipe to the stomach, which usually resulted in her being a little winded but not even moved physically had knocked her off her feet and sent her flying a few inches before there was nothing under her to stop her downward decent down the stairs. She had landed and broken her arm in a few places.

"Then tell your mother you can't handle it any more and that if she and your father aren't willing to stay at home to look after him then they need to have professional help. I mean hire. They do need help mentally too to put a small child in the hands of an equally small child."

"I'm two years older than him." Usagi defended. "I hadn't started to learn how to help him until I was five and a good height and weight when he was only still very small."

"It should have never been placed upon you." Zhang refuted. "You should have had at least a semi-normal childhood with this hanging over you but not being responsible for a child when you yourself were still a child."

"You mean by having a stranger in our home almost every day and taking care of a child that wasn't theirs and making my parents believe they are unfit?"

"Now I know they have you brainwashed. You tell me almost every day how unfit your parents are at raising children but when the suggestion is made by somebody else you refuse to believe it." Zhang's volume was rising, he and Usagi had become good friends over the last few months and he still couldn't believe how ignorant she could be.

Usagi turned her head and refused to listen to him. She knew he was right but couldn't accept it at the moment. She needed a break from her brother's problems so she could focus on her own difficulties. Mamoru was going to have a fit. But at least that would be some reaction out of him when she hadn't had any for the last week but absolute silence.

She blamed most of that on her work schedule and his, she didn't need a job with her parents throwing money at her left and right because that was the only way they could deal with her but she liked working. Mamoru's schedule had escalated in the last month with the holiday season and everybody had to work double time in his place of employment.

She supposed she could have bought herself a car and not be carted around by the bus or Mamoru's new used vehicle. But… while she liked driving she wasn't 18 yet and so couldn't have her license until then and she didn't mind the bus, it got her out walking and she could talk to people without worrying about crashing on the narrow streets already jam packed.

The rest of the silence though was eerie. They had classes together and she'd walk over to him with a smile and he'd nod coolly at her in return and then go back to his homework or his conversation like they weren't crowned best couple. He didn't even talk to her any more; she hadn't heard a syllable out of him. Even at the arcade when they both happened to be there visiting Motoki and hanging out, he ignored her and any attempts she tried in having a conversation.

Yesterday she broke down crying after school when she was with Rei at the temple. She had gone there seeking a person to talk to and have fun but once Rei opened the door, the tears gushed out. She cried that she didn't understand what she had done to make Mamoru so upset with her.

Rei pulled her into the comfort of her arms and soothed her by whispering encouragements and soft sounds. When Usagi finally settled down enough hear the words Rei was saying, Rei offered her a large smile and a few more comforting words before saying what stuck with Usagi. "It could be nothing." Rei had shrugged. "But if it is something he will tell you once he's calmed down and thought about it. The distance is his way of not blowing up at you and ruining any chance at salvation between the two of you."

Usagi had known the truth from the statement though. Mamoru had put up a wall and would not break it off with her until he knew for sure that no emotion would leak out and he could be perceived as anything but absolute aloof and detached from the real world. No chinks in his armor and nothing could hurt him.

When Usagi sniffed Rei instantly back tracked. "But it really could be nothing and your blowing it out of proportion." But even as Rei said it Usagi could tell she knew it wasn't the truth, but didn't know any other way to help one of her best friends.

"Thank you Rei." Usagi said tears still in her eyes. "You have helped me, you were there for me, thank you."

"Any time Usa-chan, any time, you know you can count on me." Rei gave her another hug and watched as she walked out of the door and down the temple stairs.

Later that day Usagi had found out quite bluntly that Minako and Motoki were having problems too. Makoto had informed her of that fact and was confused how she could be so oblivious to the steaming arguments the two had almost constantly. Usagi had sheepishly replied that she hadn't seen any of them and was concerned about her relationship at that moment.

Usagi still didn't understand what was going on between the other couple, they were as in love as Mamoru and she had been and both relationships had been strained at the same time too.

Usagi groaned, as the last bone was adjusted and cased into place. "Must it be so painful?"

"I offered some drugs to numb the pain." Zhang reminded her.

"How's the pursuit of Ami going?" She was another one Usagi had not spoken to in over a week; actually they had not spoken since the day they ran into each other at the hospital.

"Not well, I see her often and she shoots me down before I even open my mouth. You were right, she really is a hard one."

"But worth the effort." Usagi changed positions getting into the conversation. "Now what have you used to try and seduce her over into your hands and melt like butter?"

"I don't know if I should use you, after all it is cheating to use an inside source." He tipped his head in amusement.

"It isn't cheating, it's ensuring that she'll be happy. Now, what have you used?" Usagi insisted.

"I asked her if she'd like to get coffee almost a month ago."

"And she said…?"

"I was getting to that." He chided but there was laughter in his eyes. "She said not even when hell freezes over. Does she not like coffee or something?"

"She adores coffee and never gives up a free cup." Usagi frowned. "How did you lead up to it?"

"Hi I'm Zhang, do you remember me? Usagi introduced us. -Here I thought I'd get big points because it's you and it was a best friend that introduced us. Anyways Ami looked at me with burning hatred in her eyes and I finished by asking her if she would like to get a cup of coffee with me sometime and talk. That's when she refused me." He told her as he added more cemented cloth around her cotton ball covered arm.

"What did you try after that?" Usagi's eyes narrowed not in pain this time but in slight confusion over her friend's antics, Ami was generally so much more polite even in her refusals.

"A few small overtures that I won't get into right now and she threw each away. Whenever I see her she also either turns right around, doesn't talk to me or says a spiting comment at me."

"You might have to try the direct approach, ask why she hates you and if she says she doesn't hate you ask her why she won't give you the time or day to ask her out. Hopefully that will shock her enough into silence and you can move in then."

"And if she tells me why she hates me?"

"She won't and nobody can hate you, you're too lovable to hate." Usagi cooed teasing him.

"You better stop that before I repay you back because I still have to finish this." He nodded towards her broken arm and she stopped her funny faces.

"All right." She pouted and leaned back against the thin paper covered mat.

Zhang's head popped up. "You know, your really good at changing subjects."

"Don't start it again." Usagi warned.

"Or what?" He asked lifting a blond brow away from his jade green eyes.

"Or I'll take this fix to a real doctor."

"You wouldn't do it because then it wouldn't be free and it'd go on your permanent record with all of the others and since your not eighteen your parents would get involved."

"Fine, just don't." She grumbled.

"I won't. I was just reminding you that while your good at distracting, I'm good at remembering." Zhang soaked another strip before applying it. "When this is done I still need to look you over for other injuries. This was the only break from the scans but they didn't show us other injuries."

"All right, but before you do I'll need to call Mamoru and tell him I have to break the date for tonight." She hadn't wanted to say it, hadn't wanted to believe that anything was wrong but they had made the date before the freeze out and she wasn't sure if they'd still be going but she didn't want to tempt fate by not getting prepared any way and now she was loathed to break it but she couldn't handle seeing him when he was bound to freak about the arm. Because even though he was for some reason angry with her, he still cared for her, their relationship didn't die out with the lightest breeze overnight.

"Usa-chan." Zhang frowned at her. "You'll have to do that afterwards because I'm not risking you to the weather before I know you are perfectly ok besides this arm."

"We'll see." Usagi muttered to herself.

"Fiery women are all around me it seems." He shook his head, the long dirty blond hair breaking free from his low ponytail.

"At least you're never bored." Usagi reminded playfully.

"With you alone I could never be bored, sick and tired of always fixing you up maybe but never bored."


	6. 6

CHAPTER 6

Usagi was standing next to the doors in the waiting room, she promised Zhang she wouldn't go outside while he was away on a 'real patient' so she did the next best thing and stood next to the constantly opening and closing doors.

She had trouble dialing the phone with her left hand but achieved her goal when the phone read 'Chiba residence' and it was ringing. She shivered as another artic blast sent it's chilling fingers up her spine.

The phone was picked up but wasn't answered right away as Grandfather Chiba yelled to his grandson. "What time did you say your date with her was?"

"In an hour!" Came Mamoru's harmonic voice although it was a yell it was still music to deprived ears.

"Oh!" Grandfather Chiba realized he still had the phone in his hand and hadn't said a word. "I'm sorry, moshi moshi, is anybody still there?"

"Hi Grand-Chi." It was Usagi's personal nickname for him because she decided that Grandfather Chiba was just too long and he hadn't mucks one stint because he liked the attention.

"Oh hello Usa-chan, I was wondering when I'd hear from you again. I was just talking about you."

"Nothing good I hope."

"Never anything good." He responded in kind. "I hear you have a big date tonight with my grandson, hopefully you'll do something besides con people out of their money."

"You never know. May I speak to Mamoru, Grand-Chi?"

"Sure, sure." He held the phone away and bellowed for Mamoru. "It's your lovely girlfriend."

Usagi blushed on her side of the line, the old man never stopped with his compliments all directed towards her and Mamoru, the rest of the world though wasn't quite so cheered on or supported.

"Usako." The word was the same but the tone was a bit harsher than normal.

"Mamo-chan." She countered with the same one word sentence.

She could hear Mamoru say something to his grandfather about going to talk to her in his room and wasn't to be spied on which the old man had vainly protested. The door clicked shut and Mamoru returned his attention to her. "Why'd you call?"

"I have to cancel our date for tonight." She said with hesitancy in her voice. She wanted to say more but couldn't seem to get the words right.

"Ok. Good bye."

"Good-" The phone clicked off before she could say any more. She swallowed back the tears, Mamoru had seemed so heartless, so unattached like her canceling hadn't meant anything more to him then saving himself the hassle of doing it himself.

Zhang came up to her then and tapped her on the shoulder. "Usa-chan." He frowned at her stricken gaze. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"Come on then, you can tell me about it as I look you over." He guided her through the doors and into another hallway.

Ami watched the two with narrowed eyes, she had done the right thing, she was sure of it. She had however missed an important detail with holding herself at a distance for the last month; she hadn't seen any of Usagi's injuries. Those that was both physical and emotional.

Mamoru hung up impersonally and was surprised at his level of constraint while speaking to her. Once he was sure it was unconnected he slammed the phone down in rage. He quickly undressed from his carefully planned out outfit.

He had thought that by giving her the silent treatment for a week would have her going crazy with guilt and loss that she'd break off whatever she had and try to rekindle the relationship. At that point he was prepared to sway her back to him by seducing her with romance. Except she had bailed, believing whatever else she had was more important to him.

That was fine by him. He didn't need her any more then she apparently needed him. He had been willing to get through this and give it another try but she hadn't, she didn't care. Now he wasn't going to care. He dressed again in his pajamas and strolled out of his bedroom like he owned the place and sank into the couch before the TV and turned it on becoming completely absorbed into the mindless droning upon the screen.

An hour later his grandfather came into the room talking. "Shouldn't you be leaving to go pick Usagi up?" Once he saw what Mamoru was wearing he turned disbelieving. "Why are you ready yet? Why are you wearing pajamas and watching the damn TV when you have a beautiful girl waiting for you?"

"We're not going out tonight, she canceled again." Mamoru moped, oh for all his brave, wise thoughts!

"Ok, why?" Grandpa Chiba questioned.

"We're having problems and apparently she doesn't care." He said sulking and turning up the volume. "Now my show is on."

Grandpa Chiba walked over to the Television and reached behind it and pulled the plug out.

"What was that for?" Mamoru yelled sitting up.

"Saving you from messing up the best relationship you'll ever have." Sr. Chiba told him calmly.

"If you haven't noticed it's out of my hands!" He raged. "Now plug the TV back in!"

"Usagi is the loveliest girl in the world, both inside and out. Whatever it is you did I'm sure she'll forgive you." His grandfather tried to be understanding but he could only see the waste if he didn't get them back together.

"What I did? Why must it be what I did?"

"Usagi did something to you? What? Not being able to go out to dinner with you?" Sr. Chiba demanded.

"Hoku-san, plug back in the TV, please." Mamoru bit out, avoiding the subject.

"No." Chiba Hoku denied his only grandchild's wish, not for the first time, but one of great importance.

"Fine." Mamoru grumbled and rolled off the couch and headed towards his room but Hoku slid in front of him.

"You will tell me what's going on. There's a very nice girl who doesn't deserve this treatment."

"What if she does?" Mamoru countered.

"Then you have to strongly consider whether or not you're willing to give up the relationship. Remember though that you have loved her, you do love her and you probably will love her for a very long time to come. Is it worth the suffering of kicking her out of your life or trying to work through this? If it is then you should fight for her."

Mamoru considered his grandfather and his words for a while before nodding slowly. "I suppose you are right. How do you know so much about it?"

"Your grandmother had been married to another man when I met her." Hoku explained. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll fight for her." Mamoru decided. "By now she'll probably be at the arcade. No matter what goes on during the day she always ends up at the arcade at some point during the day and she hasn't gone yet."

"A regular visitor." Hoku suggested knowingly.

"The only thing she doesn't skip out on." Mamoru said more to himself then his grandfather but he was heard.

"I'm sure there's more to the story then you know." He hinted at a slight chink in Mamoru's reasoning.

"That's right, you met with Ms. Tuskino, how did that go?"

"She's a very nice woman who doesn't know her daughter all that well, the only things she could talk about in any length was when Usagi had been a baby to two and vague impressions afterwards, almost like a stranger telling me what they knew about somebody they only passed daily."

"That's interesting." Mamoru paused in his journey around his grandfather to enter his room. "I wonder why you got that impression, Ms. Tuskino seems very involved with the home, it has a lot of nice touches so she has to have known Usagi more intimately then you've described. Maybe in years past Usagi hasn't had a lot of time to devote to her mother."

"There seemed to be a long time in between." Hoku died off in thought knowing he shouldn't push it.

"I wouldn't know, but there has to be something wrong with that impression then." With that Mamoru disappeared into his room.

Hoku only shook his head, his grandson would learn the truth sooner or later and it would be told through the correct person. For now he could put the bug in his ear and hope for the best.

Mamoru strolled into the arcade and walked up to the busy Motoki. "Hey." Mamoru greeted politely leaning against the counter and surveyed the room.

"Hey Mamoru-kun." Motoki replied with a smile as he swept the floor. "What can I do for you?"

The arcade was on its last legs before deciding to completely clear out and go to bed for the night. "I'm looking for Usako, have you seen her?"

"You just missed her, she was here an hour ago. Looked around and then decided it wasn't worth it, I heard her mutter that, before she waved goodbye and left." Motoki leaned down and scooped up the pile he made. "You know it's funny."

Mamoru turned around and leaned over the counter to look down at Motoki. "What's funny?" He was tempted to say goodbye and look for Usagi elsewhere but he might as well hear out his best friend.

"You're the second person to ask for Usagi tonight and she's usually here longer then she was." Motoki mused.

"Who else was it?" Mamoru asked.

"Shingo, he left as soon as he heard she wasn't here." Motoki hesitated like he was going to say more then decided not to.

"What?" Mamoru questioned.

"I understand that you and Usagi are going through a bit of difficulty." Motoki died off, knowing he had chickened out of what he really wanted to say.

"And so?" Mamoru wondered aloud.

"I can't help but feel sorry about that. Minako and I are in an argument about whether we should interfere or not and I finally compromised and said that I would ask you about it. Why are you torturing Usagi by leaving her in the dark about what your feeling? She's distraught enough already."

"I don't mean to but I had to figure some things out on my own before I could speak calmly to her." Mamoru justified.

"Women like having people talk to them when something's wrong not holding it back until they deal with it calmly. They'd rather fight then be ignored."

"As you've found out with Minako?"

"Yes." Motoki answered bashfully. "I definitely learned from Minako what men shouldn't do and should to keep their girl happy."

"You are so whipped." Mamoru shook his head in amusement.

"No I'm not, she does things to keep me happy and I do things for her, it's a mutually benefiting relationship."

"I suppose." But Mamoru's thoughts were still on Usagi leaving before a guy named Shingo came in looking for her. "I have to go man."

"Bye." Motoki he clasped his hand on Mamoru's shoulder. "Don't do anything that I wouldn't do."

"You'd do everything." Mamoru reminded him.

Motoki laughed. "Touché."

"Bye." Mamoru said before leaving.


	7. 7 sorry, internet sucks on the laptop, t...

CHAPTER 7

Usagi rolled out of bed, she had gone to the arcade as she always did before it closed but she hadn't felt like staying until Shingo arrived so she just waved to Motoki as she left the arcade and headed home to crawl into bed. She had heard her door open and close soon after as Shingo went away and back to his own room to sleep as well.

She headed to the bathroom after grabbing a plastic bag to wrap around her cast. She was a lot stiffer today then she had been the day before. Her shoulders ached and as she undressed she was a lot slower then she usually was.

She stripped her clothes then wrapped the bag around her arm before turning on the taps so the water would warm before she entered it. She checked her body for any new bruises and found one on her hip. She frowned as she ran her fingers over it; it was a long line from where her hip had hit the edge of the wood stairs.

She took a quick, awkward one-armed shower and wrapped a towel around her as she wrung out her long wet hair. She padded into her room and got dressed in long black pants and a peach blouse with a white sweater over it so the pressed peach collar sat over the white neckline.

She had to unbutton the peach shirt's sleeve to get her cast through the hole but hadn't been able to do anything with the sweater so she left it so her arm was between her and the sweater.

Instead of bothering to dry her hair or do anything else with it she pulled it up into a bun and secured the long wet strands off of her neck. She pulled a large pink hat over her hair and head and donned a pale camel jacket that also hung over her right arm. She had a tough time pulling on her white fur lined camel colored leather boots but she finally got them on and zipped them up.

Usagi walked down the stairs and didn't see anybody on the main floor. She entered the kitchen and looked for the note that was always there for her on days like these. 'Usagi- we're at work, Shingo left this morning, have a nice day honey.'

It was always the same type of note and it almost seemed impersonal after awhile. Usagi sighed and took the message off of the refrigerator and turned it over to write her own. It was a little sloppy but she had learned how to use her left hand to write years ago. 'I'm out, I don't know when I'll be back or where I am exactly at the time you read this, rest assured that I'll be home tonight like always. Love, Usagi.'

Her own note had a familiar thread to it but Usagi wasn't in a terribly creative mood at the moment and it showed. She outlined her note with the customary heart at the end of her name over the 'I'

She placed the magnet on top of the sheet and it snapped to the door. Usagi turned around and took a walk to the arcade. She decided not to take the bus today and enjoy the fairly decent weather.

Several minutes later however she was starting to regret her decision to walk to the arcade. When Usagi entered the building a pair of eyes swung towards her. Mamoru stood up, pushing his chair back a few inches and stalked towards her.

"We need to talk." He told her, grabbing her uninjured arm.

She gulped. "Uh, sure, all right." She nodded her agreement for a measure of self-confidence. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Firstly, I know I acted like a jerk last night." Mamoru bowed his head in shame. "I had my reasons but I still shouldn't have treated you that way."

"It's all right. I wish I knew the reasons but if you'd rather not tell me, I'm ready to accept that. Everybody has things they'd rather not share." She tried to pat him with the arm still held firmly in his grasp.

"I should tell you, then maybe you can explain it to me or tell me that my information is totally off base."

"Ok." She agreed full heartily, hopefully they'd get it out into the open and then they'd move past it again. However she did realize he hadn't noticed her other arm yet. "Perhaps we should go some place quieter, your apartment perhaps or some place else?"

"How about we just sit down over here." Mamoru led the way to a remote corner of the arcade and seated her before sliding in on the other side of the booth. He seemed to be waiting for her.

"I wouldn't know where to begin, maybe you should tell me what's on your mind." She suggested.

"I'm waiting for you to get comfortable and take your coat off." He explained, his eyes firmly fastened onto her coat.

Usagi for the first time noticed the strain in his voice and she couldn't help but wonder what caused it. She sighed and nodded; pulling her arm out of the one hole she could fit it through and brushed other off her shoulder. "Is that better?" She raised an eyebrow waiting for his reply.

His eyes didn't deviate from her face. "Usagi, I was told about what you've been hiding from me."

"You do?" She asked with her mouth dropping a few centimeters, she hadn't been expecting that. "I can explain. Kami, I knew you'd hate me if you found out." She moaned and dropped her head into her left hand. "This is why I didn't tell you-"

"Usagi." His hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist, pulling it away from her face. "I'm willing to work through this if you promise to never do it again."

She looked up. "Do what again?" Usagi's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "You mean lie? Don't worry, I only did it to protect him, now that you know I won't keep it from you any more."

"It wasn't just the lie. Protecting him?" Mamoru shook his head. "You really did need to protect him didn't you, because if you knew I found out I'd kill him." Mamoru leaned forward. "I still might."

Usagi pulled away. "Kill him?" She gasped. "For what? You don't even know him. He's an innocent in all this."

She grabbed her coat. "I can't believe you of all people would be this judgmental. I mean I feared it but underneath it all I thought you of all people would be understandable."

"Usako!" Mamoru shot to his feet and followed her out the door. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "You thought I'd understand it!" He yelled into her face. "How on earth do you rationalize that? You dared to lie to me, and to do that? And I should understand it?" He growled his hands sliding down her arms so he could take hold of her wrists. His eyes widened as his hands came across her cast. He pulled up her sweater to revel her plaster-covered arm. "What the hell happened?"

"I was wondering when you'd notice." She mumbled.

"Who did this to you?" He demanded, shaking her slightly as he pulled her closer.

"Nobody did it, I fell down the stairs." She half lied, she might as well continue to protect her brother.

"When did this happen?" He didn't believe her, he didn't know if he'd ever believe her again.

"Yesterday." She swallowed. "That's why I cancelled on you." She bit her lip. "I wasn't feeling up to seeing anybody last night."

"Yet you still came to the arcade." He countered.

"I did." She granted. "But I left right away." She clarified.

"Only to have Shingo follow you shortly after. What did you think? That I wouldn't find out?" He wanted to know.

"I had hoped to delay the knowledge about Shingo." Usagi said sadly.

"Did he do this to you?" He growled.

Usagi remained silent.

"Well, did he?" He shook her. "Tell me!"

"Answer him." Another voice said from behind the couple. "Because I'd like to know myself."

"Shingo!" Usagi gasped.

"Shingo?" Mamoru roared turning around to face the male in question. His gaze had to shift up from his eye level.

Mamoru had expecting somebody as tall or shorter than him because he was unusually tall for a Japanese in the first place. Mamoru hadn't been expecting somebody almost half a foot taller than him.

"That would be me." Shingo shifted his eyes to Usagi. "So tell me Usagi, did I do that?" He asked.

"You don't know?" Mamoru gaped. "What were you drunk and blacked out the memory?"

Usagi swallowed before nodding her answer to her little brother who wasn't quite so little and could only get taller. "Kami." Shingo shook his head. "I can't believe it." He walked up to Usagi and pulled her into a hug. "I am so sorry."

"It's ok." Usagi returned the hug. "It's not that bad."

"Not that bad? Your arm is broken!" He objected to her statement.

Mamoru grabbed the back of Shingo's collar. He didn't care if the needle thin boy was taller then him, he still held no match to his anger. "Stay away from my girlfriend, creep." He broke him away from Usagi's hold.

He ignored Usagi's shocked gasp. "Mamo-chan! Stop!" She ran forward and slid in front of Shingo after Mamoru tossed him towards the wall and aimed a fist at him. Mamoru's hand stopped inches away from Usagi.

"Get the hell out of the way!" Mamoru ordered and when she refused to move he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up and placed her gently back down on the ground on the opposite side of him. Then he turned back to Shingo and his hands fisted around his collar lifting him off the ground by several inches.

"Mamoru, please stop, you don't seem to understand!" She muttered to herself. "Which is odd considering I thought you did."

"What do you mean I don't understand? You are cheating on me with this jerk!"

"The only jerk in this situation is you! What are you talking about? I am _so_ not dating Shingo; the only person I thought I was dating was you! But now I'm not even sure I want to do that, if this behavior is any type of example of what I'm going to see."

"What are you talking about?" Mamoru's anger even at this moment of complete betrayal wasn't directed at her. His anger was directed at the man who tricked Usagi into believing in him and liking him. It was the guy's fault entirely.

"What do you think is going on behind your back?" Usagi wanted to know.

"I was told by an inside source that you have been seeing a guy and getting cozy with him very often."

"Define cozy." Usagi said calmly.

"Hugging him, sitting close, talking with your faces near each other, his hand on your face or on your body some place." Mamoru's anger was starting to diffuse.

"Well, could that be because Shingo's my brother?" Her lips pursed and the bottom lip jutted out contained anger.

"Your brother?" Mamoru repeated. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't you say anything or ask once you heard something?" Usagi rounded on him. "Or better yet, would you like to tell me who gave you this little tidbit?"

"I- Ami told me about him-" Mamoru relented. "I thought if Ami was worried about it and it took her a week of agonizing over it to tell me, then it had to be true. I mean it's Ami."

"It didn't enter your mind once that it's 'I mean, it's Usagi'? Who thinks I could possibly imagine cheating on you? I love you, and call me crazy but I thought you knew that and that I wasn't that type of girl and trustworthy."

"Uh, Usagi, does he know everything?" Shingo asked, feeling slightly neglected now that he wasn't being threatened.

"Not yet. I was keeping it from him for you." Usagi shrugged slightly as both pairs of male eyes narrowed on her.

"You have my permission to tell him everything. He seems like an upstanding male citizen." His mocking tone didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

Mamoru took a step forward and Shingo took one back as his hand shot out. "I'm Chiba Mamoru, I apologize about my actions earlier, I got jealous and was mislead by one of Usagi's best friends that I had thought was the most trustworthy, I know now that I was lead astray. However yesterday I had decided I was going to fight for Usagi." His meaning glance was sent towards Usagi and her lips twisted wryly. Shingo took his hand in a handshake. "It's nice to meet you but I still need to know why Usagi's arm has been broken by you."

Mamoru's hand tightened on his refusing to let him go. "Just because your family doesn't make up for any pain that you cause her."

"That goes double for you." Shingo's backbone returned. "I think it would be better if Usagi explained it to you. But Usagi-" Shingo's attention turned to his sister. "You and I will talk about the arm when you return home."

"Bye Shingo." Usagi waved with her good arm and watched him leave.

Once Shingo left Mamoru turned to Usagi. "How are you feeling?" He asked running his hand down her sleeved arm. "Does it hurt?"

"It did when it broke, but it doesn't right now." Usagi told him. "Should we go some place to talk about this?"

"Defiantly and I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me for listening to Ami." He said sincerely.

"Let me hear what you were told and I'll base my opinion on that. But as it stands so far I don't think I could ever stay mad at you because I love you too much and that it'd hurt me so much to separate myself from you." Usagi said as they walked, he wrapped his arm around her waist and she rested her head on his arm.

"Kami Usako, I love you." He pulled her closer as he looked down at her. "Are you cold?" He noticed that she still hadn't donned her jacket again.

"Surprisingly, no." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "You haven't called me that for a while."

"What haven't I called you?" Mamoru asked.

"Usako." Her lips twisted into a wry smile. "I missed it."

"I'll apologize forever if it'd make up the pain I caused you because of my jealousy. Two people and one implied that I was an ass for not talking it out with you instead. I felt that I couldn't speak to you until I controlled my temper or else I would have blown up and wouldn't be exactly responsible for my actions."

"I would have preferred to know what you were thinking instead of being shut out." She added.

"I know that now, and I'm very sorry. I realize apologizing won't be good enough but I am sorry." His head dropped to rest on her shoulder. "Does it help if I say I really, really do love you Usako?"

"It helps." Usagi nodded.

Mamoru looked up and noticed that they were outside of a jazz club. "How about we head in here and talk?"

She agreed and they entered together. They were shown to a seat and settled down as far from the stage as possible. "I should perhaps start with my brother."

"Let me go first, I think it's more important that we get this mistake out of the way first."

"All right."

"It actually started last month. Shortly after you cancelled on the entire group after the fall party. Ami had come into the arcade when Motoki was busy and I was sitting alone. Ami slid into the seat opposite me and she was angry. She told me that I was dating a stranger and that I would be shocked by what you were doing. I don't know why she'd send me on a goose chase if she knew it was your brother. Regardless that was all she said on the matter until a week ago but I knew she was angry with you and worried about saying something. Or at least she was pretending to be distraught about you. A week ago she 'came out with the sordid details' of the last few months."

Zhang saw her go into the room with her mother only a few minutes ago but already he was getting impatient. Ami had avoided him at every turn and he was sick of it, he'd get to the bottom now or he'd give her up and live with Usagi's nagging.

Finally Ami left the blue paint covered room her mother's office was in and joined her as she walked to her next destination. After a few minutes of silence he realized that Ami was going to pretend he wasn't there for as long as she could.

"Hi, I'm Zhang, I don't know if you remember, but we had met on a nicer footing. The day Usagi introduced us you were much more polite to me. Don't you get sick of stubbing people?"

"Don't you get tired of stalking people?" She asked raising a blue eyebrow.

"I'm not stalking you." He denied. "I've been trying to get you to notice me or at least not hate me."

"Then you are fighting a loosing battle." Ami said snidely.

"Why do you hate me?" Zhang stopped walking and pulled her to a stop as well.

"Because, you're an idiot that doesn't know his place. Why can't you leave decent people alone?"

"What are you talking about? I like you."

"But I'm not the only one am I? No, you have to go after the already spoken for ones as well, don't you?" Ami bit out.

"Just whom are you talking about? I flirt with a lot of women, but its all harmless." He demanded.

"You mean there's more than one girl you've got to betray her love?" Ami asked with eyes mockingly wide.

"No, there's only one girl that I've shown real interest in. You would know who it was too if you weren't so blind."

"Sweetening me up won't get me to help you to swoon her." She tried to sting.

"Wasn't the intention. Perhaps you'd better tell me what has you so angry." He suggested charmingly.

"I'm talking about Usagi!" She stomped her foot in frustration. "I've kept this bottled up too long and I had to tell Mamoru and I've learned that it wasn't good enough. I need to tell you how worthless I think you are!"

"What did you do?" Zhang roared. "You didn't tell Mamoru that Usagi and I were cheating on him did you?"

"What? Afraid your secret will get out?" She ridiculed.

Zhang ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he looked around the hospital wing they were in. He grabbed her wrist. "Come with me." He pulled her into a spare room at that didn't have a patient in it. "I need you to tell me exactly what you did so I can help Usagi fix it."

"Why? So you can continue lying to all those connected?" Ami's eyebrows rose slightly in a depreciating look at him. "I don't think so."

"No, so I can fix the mess you caused. Usagi and I are not cheating on her boyfriend. I am her friend and nothing more."

"Likely story." Ami laughed bitterly.

"It's true. I met Usagi the day before I met you when she came to the hospital in distress over her brother. Ever since I met you however I have only had eyes for you and trying to find a way to get you to even look at me the same way in which I feel for you. My god! If only you knew the entire story! Usagi's devastated that Mamoru isn't talking to her any more and it's because her friend backstabbed her!"

"I did no such thing. Usagi dug her own grave." Ami defended.

"Not as much as everybody else seems to think."

"Would you stop speaking in riddles and tell me what's going on?"

"I'll tell you exactly what's going on if you promise to make it up to Usagi by telling Mamoru that you were wrong about her relationship with me and that you jumped to the _wrong_ conclusions. After all it is the truth and you'll be doing it eventually but hopefully this way it'll help avoid causing pain to the already pain ridden Usa-chan."

"Fine, I promise, now tell me. What was it about her brother?" She leaned forward, hope shining in her eyes yet clouded by doubt. "I suspect I should take every word you say to me as a lie, but I'm willing to believe the devil, Kami save my soul." She rested her hands on her hips by crossing her arms.

"Her brother has a medical condition. He has for a very long time. Usagi will probably kill me for telling you but I know that if it'll save her relationship she'll forgive me." Zhang sighed. "He has acute to several seizures daily. Well he did until two months ago…"

"I have been taking care of him ever since, but some times he relapses and now I am unable to do anything because I have become too weak to be responsible." Usagi finished. She had heard Mamoru's side and it had become her turn to explain the situation. "I promised Shingo a long time ago that until he wanted it to become publicly known I would keep his condition a secret so he wouldn't become out casted by his peers. I have also promised him, although I'm not sure I ever said it allowed, that I'd drop whatever I was doing if he needed me and be there for him. It's the only two promises I have never broken."

Usagi rubbed her eyes. "I suppose I also kept it a secret, not because I was ashamed by him but my parents were. They made a rule since he was born and it was known that he had it that I couldn't tell anybody and they weren't allow into the house whether or not anybody but myself was home."

"Oh Usako." Mamoru rubbed her back as they sat in the same side of the booth at the club. "I'm so sorry. I hadn't realized how hard these last few years have been on you. I would have understood if you told me. But I understand your position. If the roles had been reversed I probably wouldn't have been as forthcoming either. If you need help talking to your parents about their lack of knowledge into the situation I'd be happy to help. I could help argue that Shingo needs professional help now more then ever."

"It seems that everybody likes to say that to me recently. While I agree if the newest treatment proves it's really not working then I'll take all the help I can. But if it's just a few small events like this every month, then to me the treatment is working and there is no point in including anybody else."

"I have a friend who'd probably be willing to help out. He's a physical therapist and if he can't do anything then I'm sure he knows somebody in the seizure field who could offer the occasional assistance."

"I'd rather not deal with it right now." Usagi complained.

"Why not?" Mamoru questioned. "It's important. It's about your future and your safety."

"I'd rather not deal with it right now because my boyfriend is actually speaking to me again after a week of the cold shoulder treatment." She told him as she brought his face down towards hers.

"Oh, I forgot about that. Have I told you how sorry I am about the mistake?"

"Several times, but I don't trust words as much as you do. It's time you proved it to me with actions." And Mamoru proved how sorry he was and just how much he loved her with a very powerful kiss.


End file.
